avatarKevin Buddaeus

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If I Was Rich

A little thought game about life goals

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This article is meant as a little thought game on my own terms, as well as a writing prompt for all who want to share their own plans and thoughts.

Everyone has at one point envied those who have more money than they could ever spend. And while it may be true that being rich does not give you true happiness, it sure is more comfortable to cry in a Lamborghini with leather seats, rather than on a rusty bike in the rain.

I’ve often fantasized about being rich, to have all my financial worries disappear. I want to explore that idea and write it down to have something tangible. I want to see what exactly I would do.

If I had one million dollars right now

The first step would be to grab my wife and daughter and fly to Germany for a few weeks. I haven’t seen my parents in 6 years and miss them. They haven’t had the chance to hold their granddaughter since her birth 1 and a half years ago. Even better if I could look into their eyes as I hand them over $500.000 to use however they please. Finally, the retirement they deserve!

I’d also love to take them to Okinawa for a long summer vacation here in the blistering sun. I think my parents haven’t ever seen a tropical beach with their own eyes. When I was a kid, we’d rarely go on a camping trip. But tropical islands, hot summer beaches, or even skiing trips were never a tangible part of our lives. I think my dad never went across the German border.

After all that’s been done, I’d take the rest of the money to build a reliable income stream. Depending on the prices, buying housing and renting it out here on Okinawa can be a good venture for steady income. Renting out vending machines can also support a few hundred dollars per month if you get a good spot.

My daughter will visit an international school in the future, so she does not only learn Japanese but also English at the same level I did back in school.

The school system in Japan teaches only minimal English. Out of the 100 million Japanese people, only about 1% have conversational English skills according to statistics. I don’t want my daughter to miss out on her ability to communicate internationally.

Having money won’t hurt in giving her better options. Good schools can be expensive.

And we live in a run-down 20-year-old apartment which is quite overpriced if you look at what you can get these days for a similar price. The problem is that you have to make a safety payment of 3 months rent just to move into a new apartment here. On top of that, there’s all the other stuff we need to pay regularly. Moving is costly in Japan.

Lastly, some personal pleasure

I do have some personal things on my list that I’d like to get. But these are relatively cheap from the standpoint of having half a million dollars.

As I do love gaming, I’d finally be able to spend $2000 or more on a high-end gaming PC with the newest hardware. I could finally buy a VR-Headset (which can cost up to $800), which I only ever got to try out in a hardware store.

And here I’m going to tag Timothy Key, because there is something you might like. I remember you saying that if you weren’t a writer, you’d be a jet pilot. You might want to check this out and start saving some money.

I’ve never got the chance to get a motorbike license and would love to call myself the owner of a Kawasaki Ninja 400R (I don’t feel like I’d need bigger than that).

And finally, I’d love to get both a keyboard and an electric guitar. I never learned to play the piano (my wife did) and we’d both love to play it (me learning it). I sold my Stratocaster guitar when I moved to Japan and recently ripped open a wound in my heart, missing the music. I’d love to get a Gibson Les Paul and/or an Ibanez.

I think that’s it for what I want personally. I’m sure when you got a lot of money sitting around idle, you’d sooner or later start buying all the unnecessary stuff you never thought you’d want. But right now, the above is all that I long for.

My main goal would be to give my parents what they deserve. They paid the biggest price. They should have a chance to live their retirement worry-free and be able to try out all the things they never got a chance to. Nobody knows how much time they’ve left. It should be the best time of their lives.

And honestly, it made me happy thinking about it. But now I snap back to reality and it hurts a little. That it didn’t turn out this way. Not until now. Maybe soon. Who knows.

So, that was my honest “if I was rich” plan for an improbable (but not impossible) future.

What’s yours? Leave a comment, or write your own story and tag me! I’m curious about what other people would do.

Kevin is an editor and writer for the ILLUMINATION and Polyglot Poetry publications. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Finance
Life
Mindfulness
Self
Money
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